


A Difference All The Same

by narcissablaxk



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Gotham (TV)
Genre: M/M, Nygmobblepot, fake marriage au, nygmobblepot week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 16:45:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14024433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narcissablaxk/pseuds/narcissablaxk
Summary: In the early morning, Edward gets a call from Oswald. Something happened to Martin, and Ed needs to get to the hospital ASAP. Unfortunately, only family can see Martin, and Ed is...not legally family.





	A Difference All The Same

Ed got the call early in the morning, when the sun was just barely peeking out between the smog of Gotham, the pink and orange beams just barely reaching the foot of his bed. His phone, the one Oswald insisted he own, was jingling annoyingly at the edge of his side table, buried under torn notebook pages and his horn rimmed glasses. 

He groped for the phone, knocking his glasses off the table and onto the floor, and flipped it open. “Hullo?” he asked groggily. 

Oswald’s voice was a mess of tears, anger, and panic, and Ed had to ask him to repeat himself several times before he managed to decipher the words _“Martin”_ and _“Gotham General.”_

“I’ll be there post-haste,” he promised, already reaching for his glasses, buried under the fallen notebook pages, still waterfalling off the table and onto the floor. With shaking hands, he dressed, possibilities running through his head. Could Oswald’s (and by extension, Ed’s own) role in the Gotham underworld have gotten Martin hurt? Fatally hurt? The idea was nightmarish, but Ed knew that Gotham, more often than not, erred toward Lovecraftian levels of horror. 

Sofia was a sincere possibility, but so was Barbara, Jim, and even Butch. Martin was an easy chess piece to use to manipulate Oswald, and despite Ed’s advice, Oswald insisted on keeping Martin at his side like a son. Martin was his only family now, he could not be persuaded into keeping him a secret, even to keep him safe. 

The longer the ride to the hospital took, the more anxious Ed became. Oswald lost his mother and father to violence, what if he lost Martin the same way? He could never come back from that. 

He would be a truly dangerous man if that happened, with nothing to live for. 

Well, nothing but Ed himself, if he still harbored any form of romantic feelings for him. It was a subject they both studiously avoided since they embarked on a shaky truce that quickly blossomed into their old friendship. Ed didn’t want to ruin it the same way he ruined everything else. The same way that Oswald tended to ruin everything else. 

They were both destructive, but if they pretended otherwise, they could coexist. For a time, at least. 

Gotham General was a madhouse, but Ed didn’t care. He bolted out of the cab, panic fully setting in now that he had the time to think about the possibilities, barely managing to toss money back at the cabbie before shoving past the people that dared to get in his way. 

“Martin Cobblepot,” he panted at the nurse at the desk. “I’m looking for Martin Cobblepot.” 

“Are you family?” she asked, completely uninterested. Ed faltered. He was family, sure, but not in the legal sense. And that’s what this calm, umoved, wax figure of a person was asking, wasn’t she? 

“Uh…well,” he replied. 

“Only family,” she said dismissively. 

“I _have_ to see him,” he insisted, trying to decide if taking out his dagger was a good decision in a hospital full of security guards. A quick glance told him that there were three in this emergency room alone. He decided against it.

“Hospital policy,” she shrugged. 

He took a deep breath. “I’m uhh, I’m not his family, but I’m his father’s…” Ed paused as the woman raised her eyebrows at him. “I’m his father’s husband.” 

“Oswald Cobblepot?” she asked incredulously. “The former mayor?” 

He rolled his eyes. “It was…a quiet affair. Now is not the time to explain it to you. I want to see my husband and his son immediately.” 

“Ed?” 

“Mr. Cobblepot, this man says –”

Knowing Oswald would immediately discount his lie, Ed interrupted her. “Oh, _darling,_ I came as soon as I got your call,” he said, sweeping Oswald into his arms, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “How is Martin?” 

Oswald was wide-eyed in his embrace, too shocked to even play along. Ed gave him a few moments to collect himself, and when he didn’t, pushed forward. “It seems that hospital policy is that only family can visit patients,” he said significantly, squeezing Oswald around the hip to get his attention. “This…woman was unaware of our recent nuptials.” 

The nurse was still watching them. 

“Recent… _nuptials,_ ” Oswald repeated dumbly. 

“Yes, Ozzie,” Ed said sweetly. “He’s a little out of it,” he told the nurse. “Our son –”

The mention of Martin seemed to wake Oswald up out of his trance. “Edward, Martin –”

“I know, I know,” he said quietly, reassuringly. “Take me to him.” He let Oswald lead him down the hallway, the smaller man’s hand around his wrist, too shocked and confused to take Ed’s hand, and waited for the nurse to stop him. When she didn’t, Ed slipped his hand into Oswald’s and squeezed. 

***

Martin had been caught in the crossfire of an attempted assassination attempt on Oswald’s life. The bullet, meant for Oswald, had clipped him in the neck, enough to splatter his adopted father with blood and send him into a panic. He was stable and sleeping, but that didn’t make the fear any less potent. 

“Half an inch, Ed, and Martin would be dead,” Oswald fretted, combing back Martin’s hair. 

“I know,” Ed said. “But he’s not.” 

“He could have been!” Oswald snapped, edging toward a shout. Ed sighed. This was where he failed in social situations. He wanted to think logically, to figure out who did this and how to get revenge. But he couldn’t do that without a sounding board, and he was pretty certain now was not the time to bring it up. 

“He’s safe, Oswald,” Ed finally said softly. “He’s safe here, with you and me.” 

“With his fathers,” Oswald muttered bitterly. 

“I did what I had to do –” They had already danced around the subject of Ed pretending to be Oswald’s husband to get into the hospital room, but Oswald balked at asking any questions, at mentioning Ed’s kiss on his forehead. 

Ed struggled with propriety and appropriateness, but he was far from dumb. He felt the way Oswald melted against him when he pulled him into his arms. He saw the way he relaxed when Ed pressed his lips to his forehead. He knew, now, that Oswald’s feelings were still there, lurking beneath the surface of their friendship. 

It had been nice, holding him that way, he reflected. 

“You could have threatened her,” Oswald said coolly. “You have no trouble intimidating people. But you didn’t. You told her we were married.” 

“I did,” Ed acknowledged. “I figured that being arrested in a hospital would mean I couldn’t see you or Martin, so I did what I had to do.” 

Oswald rolled his eyes at the logical answer, the one he probably didn’t want. 

“I’m sorry if I was crass, or if what I did hurt your feelings, or…or crossed a line –”

_“Don’t –”_

“We have to talk about it –”

“No, we don’t –”

Ed finally stood from his seat, where he had retreated to give Oswald room to be with Martin, and moved toward him. “Oswald, this isn’t a trick. I’m not trying to get you to admit your feelings so I can throw them in your face. This isn’t like before.” 

Oswald didn’t answer, but tilted his head halfway toward Ed without actually taking his eyes off of Martin. 

“I just wanted to be here for you,” Ed said quietly, trying to find a way to untangle his feelings without saying something Oswald would immediately discount as a lie. “And for Martin.” 

“You know, I used to dream about this,” Oswald’s voice was softer than Ed had ever heard. “You, me, and Martin. A family that couldn’t just be taken away.” He gripped the side of Martin’s bed so tightly his hand started to shake. “But that’s just a dream.” 

Ed gently traced his hand over Oswald’s, trying to ease the tension out of it. Touching him this way wasn’t nearly as bizarre as he always thought it would be. In fact, he felt the tension in his shoulders lessen, he felt Oswald, beside him, deflate, and sway back gently so he was leaning into Edward. 

“It doesn’t have to be a dream,” Ed whispered. 

Oswald turned back to him so fast, Ed thought he was about to get slapped. He immediately retreated, hands up. But Oswald just stared at him, confused. As the silence plodded on, Ed lowered his hands, waiting for Oswald to speak. 

“You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?” he said, finally. “I wanted us to be together. Not just friends, and not as business partners.” 

“Yes,” Ed said simply. “I understand what you’re saying.” 

The surprise and incredulity that danced across Oswald’s face pleased him, in the way that planning a surprise pleased him. It was the contentment of knowledge, and knowing where this conversation was going to go, even if Oswald didn’t believe it. 

“That idea used to disgust you,” Oswald pointed out. 

Ed, finally convinced that Oswald was not about to stab or slap him, stepped cleanly into his orbit again. “It did not disgust me,” he protested lightly. “It frightened me. There’s a difference.” 

“A minute difference,” Oswald spluttered. 

“A difference all the same,” Ed said, tilting Oswald’s chin so he was forced to look up, into his eyes. “I’m not asking you to marry me, Oswald. I’m asking you to give me a chance to show you that your dream can come true.” 

His hand was still on Oswald’s chin. 

“I don’t know if I believe you,” Oswald replied. 

Ed pressed his lips very gently against Oswald’s, finally releasing his chin to gently run his thumb over the man’s sharp cheekbones. When he pulled away, Oswald’s eyes were still closed. 

“I think I can convince you.”


End file.
